1 . Please take a few seconds and think of your personal biggest goal. Imagine telling someone you meet today what you’re going to do. Imagine their congratulations and their high image of you. Doesn't it feel good to say it out loud? Don’t you feel one step closer already? Well, bad news: you should have kept your mouth shut, because that good feeling will make you less likely to do it.
Any time you have a goal, there is some work that needs to be done to achieve it. Ideally, you would not be satisfied until you’d actually done the work. But when you tell someone your goal and he acknowledges it, psychologists have found it's called a "social reality". The mind is kind of tricked into a feeling that it's already done. And then. because you’ve felt that satisfaction. you’re less motivated to do the actual and necessary hard work. This goes against the traditional wisdom that we should tell our friends our goals, right?
In 1982, Peter Gollwitzer, a professor of psychology, wrote a whole book about this. And in 2009, he did some new tests, which were published. It goes like this: 163 people across four separate tests—everyone wrote down their personal goal. Then half of them announced their commitment to this goal to the room, and half didn't. Then everyone was given 45 minutes of work that would directly lead them towards their goal, but they were told that they could stop at any time. Finally, those who kept their mouths shut worked the entire 45 minutes on average, and when asked afterwards, said they felt they had a long way to go to achieve their goal. But those who had announced it quit after only 33 minutes on average, and when asked afterwards, said that they felt much closer to achieving their goal.
1. What do the words "social reality" in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Necessary hard work. | B．Completion of a goal |
| C．A sense of satisfaction. | D．People’s judgement. |
| A．Writing down the goal is very helpful. |
| B．Achieving the personal goal needs more time. |
| C．Keeping the goal secret makes people work harder. |
| D．Making the goal public makes people less satisfied. |
| A．By giving figures. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making a survey. | D．By making comparison tests |
| A．You'll be more confident |
| B．You will not gain satisfaction. |
| C．You'll be less likely to realize it. |
| D．You'll be much more motivated. |
2 . The pupils of Grange town High have been busy getting to know their newest and tallest classmate, a 7-meter-tall giraffe outside their school
The giraffe is a huge sculpture made by a local artist. The school's headmaster noticed the sculpture in the artist's garden as he drove past one day. He thought it would be perfect for his school. “I knew everyone would love it,” he said, “because our basketball team is known as Grange town giraffes, and they wear giraffes on their shirts. So I asked them to write a letter to the artist, asking how much it would cost to buy the giraffe. He was very kind and got it ready to deliver in six weeks - all for nothing. It was expected to arrive on Sunday morning so that the pupils would see it when they got to school on Monday - at that time they had no idea that we were getting it.
The artist, Tom Bennett, was a university professor of chemistry before he left that job in 2006 and only took up metalwork a couple of years ago. “I've always drawn pictures,” he said, “I can even remember doing it on my first day at school - I drew a horse. I wanted it to be the best horse picture ever, but I don't think I succeeded.” Tom's first metalwork was a bicycle for two that he and his wife could go cycling on together. “It was a most uncomfortable bike ever created,” he said, “So I gave up making bicycles and went into sculpture instead.”
Meanwhile, the pupils at Grange town High are very happy with their new classmate. “We are going to hold a competition to give it a proper name.” said one girl. “Everyone likes the expression on his face, so perhaps that will give us some ideas.”
1. According to the text, the giraffe _______________.| A．was as tall as a basketball player | B．was given to Grange town High for free |
| C．was sent to Grange town High on Monday | D．was specially made for a basketball team |
| A．excited | B．nervous | C．worried | D．confident |
| A．He learned a lot about sculpture at university. | B．He visited Grange town High |
| C．He was good at drawing, especially horses. | D．He showed interest in art at an early age. |
| A．It was a difficult job to name a giraffe. |
| B．Tom Bennett is well-known as a sculptor. |
| C．A metal giraffe arrived at Grange town High. |
| D．The Grange town Giraffe is a strong basketball team. |
3 . Ryan Hreljac is a boy living in Canada. Without his help, hundreds of wells that now provide fresh water for people in Africa, Central America and India might never have been built. Ryan is what you might call a water ambassador(大使). He traveled the world to tell people how they can help solve a big problem: the lack of safe drinking water in many developing countries.
Ryan’s efforts didn’t begin in a far-off place, but right at home in Kemptville, Ontario.
When he was 6 years old, Ryan learned from his teacher that children in Africa often must walk miles each day to find water. Some even die from drinking bad water, his teacher said.
So Ryan decided to act. He did chores for his parents and neighbors. He spoke to schools, churches, and clubs about his goal. The word spread. After several months of hard work, Ryan had raised $ 2, 000, enough to dig one well.
An organization called Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) chose a site for the well in the village of Agweo, in Uganda. Two years later, CPAR arranged for Ryan to visit Uganda for the opening ceremony of the well. Ryan met a new friend named Jimmy. Then they formed a close friendship. He often traveled with Ryan to explain how water changed his life.
After the first well, “the ripple(涟漪) effect took over,” Ryan says, “and one goal led to another. ” With adult help, he founded Ryan’s Well Foundation to educate people about the importance of water. Now the foundation has raised more than $ 1. 5 million and built 255 wells that serve more than 427, 000 people in 12 countries. Ryan has received many awards but he isn’t bragging(炫耀). “The most impressive people I’ve met are the other kids who want to help too,” he says. “I’m just a typical kid. I had a small dream, and I stayed with it. Everybody can do something.”
1. What problem is Ryan working to solve?| A．The effect of poverty on children. |
| B．The diseases caused by polluted water. |
| C．A lack of safe drinking water. |
| D．A lack of money to save water. |
| A．He created an educational foundation. |
| B．He traveled to villages across the world. |
| C．He started a website to ask for donations. |
| D．He did chores and sold his idea. |
| A．Making friends. |
| B．Not giving up. |
| C．Knowing his limits. |
| D．Not bragging about awards. |
| A．A Story of a Well |
| B．A Boy Who Makes a Difference |
| C．An Organization of Saving Water |
| D．A Well That Brought People Together |
4 . My family lives in Texas. I was born and brought up in Texas and I am a graduate of the University of Texas. However, around my second year in law school, I wanted to make a great change, which was almost unheard of for Texans: I wanted to leave!
I realized this after completing my first-year internship(实习期). I knew I wanted something different and my chance came during the 2018 Super Bowl in Dallas. A snowstorm blanketed the entire city in snow and thousands of people were gathered. I heard by chance that StubHub, a big company from a great city, San Francisco, was throwing a party next door to my hotel. I thought if I could get an internship, I could leave for the summer and at least see what it was like. Yes, it was a huge leap. I told myself I was ready.
There was just one problem: I wasn’t invited to the StubHub party. But you know I’m the type of person who goes for something she wants. I crashed the party and found my way to the president. I kindly introduced myself and then asked if they had a legal internship program. Guess what? They accepted my request to be a legal intern, even though no such program existed.
Although the legal department only had a temporary position for me, the experience has shaped my life. Working for a great company in San Francisco, I’m very happy for making my decision to leave Texas.
By leaving Texas, I learned that it is so much more rewarding to try the unfamiliar than to stay in the comfortable. Exploring the unfamiliar is how you’ll understand what fits your life. I say, dive in head first.
1. What happened to the author in Dallas in 2018?| A．She was accepted as a legal intern. | B．She played in the Super Bowl. |
| C．She escaped from San Francisco. | D．She met up with her family. |
| A．You must choose a career that you like. |
| B．Jumping out of your comfort zone is rewarding. |
| C．Accepting who you are makes you realize your strengths. |
| D．You should listen to your family to learn about your potential. |
| A．Patient and modest. | B．Supportive and energetic. |
| C．Intelligent and humorous. | D．Determined and positive. |
5 . It was our last class before summer break. I was finishing up the first year of an MFA program in poetry. I was tired and puzzled. "Was I good enough to be in the program?" When a professor asked about our summer plans, I panicked. I didn't want to appear idle(闲散的). "Gardening," I responded immediately. Actually I knew nothing about plants! My professor nodded, saying, "What a good idea, Mari! Emily Dickinson loved gardening." Emily Dickinson had lived in the countryside, studying plants as a child. I was in my late twenties, living in the city without gardening experience.
A few days later, I bought a jalapeño seedling(青辣椒秧苗). At least I could say I'd tried gardening. I watered and changed the dirt for my little plant. I even talked to it. And over the summer, it grew bigger and bigger. I was proud. Maybe I didn't have a black thumb after all.
I started the second year of my MFA, and then it was almost December and my jalapeño was suffering. It was brown in some places; many of its leaves had fallen off. Would my little guy make it? I prayed, "Please be okay." As if its survival were closely linked to mine.
I worked hard in school. Spring came. My jalapeño plant came back to life. It grew bigger, with new leaves. And then it flowered. I handed in my graduate paper--a book of poems--in May. "Your poems are strong," my professor said.
A huge weight lifted. I'd done it! At that time, I found the flowers on my jalapeño plant were gone. I watched closer. Where a flower had been, a tiny green fruit pushed through. I smiled. I had succeeded in my MFA program, and my jalapeño plant had grown right beside me, and I successfully did things I hadn't thought possible.
1. Why did the author begin gardening?| A．Just by accident. |
| B．For the love for gardening. |
| C．To express fancy for Emily Dickinson. |
| D．Because of the reminding of a professor. |
| A．In her childhood. | B．In one of her summer breaks. |
| C．In her teens. | D．In her first year of MFA program. |
| A．A talent to grow plants. | B．A dirty finger to touch plants. |
| C．A good fortune to do everything. | D．An inability to do gardening. |
| A．Nothing is impossible to a willing mind. |
| B．Easier said than done. |
| C．It's never too old to learn. |
| D．Do not teach fish to swim. |
6 . Girl with a Pearl Earring has been part of the Mauritshuis’ collection in the Hague since 1902 and is still on display at the museum. Rumours (谣言) have surrounded Johannes Vermeer’s work ever since it was rediscovered in the late 19th century, and this painting still continues to generate interest, debate and imagination.
Although Vermeer was among the most successful artists working in Delft during the 17th century, he was almost completely forgotten after his death in 1675. Even during his lifetime, Vermeer’s influence was mainly limited to Delft where he earned a reasonable living as a painter and art dealer. What’s more, Vermeer’s name is rarely mentioned in historical records and he left behind barely any other documents about his career or personal history.
Very little is known about Girl with a Pearl Earring. However, art historians have decided several important facts about the painting. Recent research suggests that the black, negative space behind Vermeer’s model was originally painted dark green.
Much like other artists of his time, Vermeer enjoyed painting figures dressed in Middle Eastern clothes. As his model is dressed in a turban (女用头巾), many art historians argue that the Vermeer’s painting shouldn’t De considered as a portrait(肖像画)at all. Instead, most scholars agree that Girl with a Pearl Earring belongs to a kind of painting called Tronie that began in the Low Countries around Vermeer’s time. This type of artwork often portrays (描绘) characters rather than actual people. It portrays a certain type of character; in this case a girl in fanciful cress, wearing an oriental turban and an improbably large pearl in her ear.
It is interesting to note that the painting was known as Girl with Turban or simply Young Girl for most of its existence and only received its current name less than a century ago. While it is impossible to identify Vermeer’s model, due to a complete lack of evidence, he may have asked one of his seven daughters to sit for the painting.
1. What do we learn about Johannes Vermeer when he was alive?| A．He lived a very hard life | B．He wasn’t a gifted artist |
| C．He liked writing about himself | D．He wasn’t much known out of his city |
| A．The girl’s special expression. | B．The girl’s unusual dressing |
| C．The model’s unclear gesture. | D．The model’s background painting |
| A．Its model remains mysterious |
| B．Its name is still controversial |
| C．It was severely damaged a century ago. |
| D．It was inspired by a daughter of the artist |
| A．Life experiences of Johannes Vermeer |
| B．The model of Girl with a Pearl Earring |
| C．The story behind Girl with a Pearl Earring |
| D．Characteristics of Johannes Vermeer’s painting |
7 . Delhi has been the centre of a succession of mighty empires and powerful kingdoms in India. Numerous ruins scattered throughout the territory offer a constant reminder of the area's history, which makes the city always be a fascinating place for tourists.
With the development of the city and more and more people moving, the city has expanded several times in size. That is why it is called New Delhi. New Delhi, a city with a population of over 20 million people, has its newest problem: never before has this city met with the worst air problem.
Air pollution in Indians capital surged to its worst levels in years, covering the city in a thick smog that has become an annual public-health emergency despite government vows to solve the problem.
Hundreds of flights were diverted, delayed and canceled over the weekend due to poor visibility, schools and offices were closed Monday and officials rushed to take emergency measures to try to reverse the eroding air quality. Millions of antipollution masks were distributed at schools, colleges, hospitals and markets.
New Delhi, is engulfed each year as the weather cools and a thick haze builds up from the pollutants emitted from cars and coal-based power plants, swirling dust from construction sites and roads and smoke from crop stubble burning in neighboring states. Fireworks and firecrackers to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali then arrives, leaving Delhi the world's most polluted city.
The city's air quality index, which measures a mix of dangerous pollutants, registered an average score of 494 Sunday. That is the highest 24-hour average since Nov. 6, 2016, when it hit 497, according to data measured by the Central Pollution Control Board.
1. Which of the following is true?| A．Diwali, one of the festivals in India, is not important to Idians. |
| B．The index of the recent air pollution is not the worst in the history. |
| C．Dehli, once a constant reminder of the area’s history, has shrunk. |
| D．The government did nothing to protect its citizens against the pollution. |
| A．The parents whose children have to stay at home. |
| B．The pilots whose planes have been diverted or delayed. |
| C．The manufacturers who produce antipollution masks. |
| D．The officials who have to work out of their offices. |
| A．released | B．polluted | C．purified | D．restricted |
| A．Problems Caused by the Development of New Delhi |
| B．Farmers in the Neighboring States are to Blame for Burning Crop Stubble |
| C．Antipollution Masks Are in Great Need in New Delhi |
| D．Dangerous Pollution Envelops New Delhi |
8 . For many years, I strongly believed that my suffering was because of my size. I imagined that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds, hurts and rejections with it.
Many people with weight problems also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved, being special, and being cared for. We fantasize (幻想) about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal. We work very hard to realize this dream. Then, at last, we find ourselves there.
But we often gain back what we have lost. Even so, we continue to believe that next time it will be different. Next time, we will keep it off. Next time, being thin will finally bring us happiness, self-worth, and, of course, love.
It took me a long time to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty. Different cultures have different standards of beauty. In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds. More importantly, if it’s happiness that we want, why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body? Why not look inside? Many of us struggle hard to change our body, but in vain (徒劳的). We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and care for ourselves. When we change our attitudes towards ourselves, the whole world changes.
1. The passage tries to stress the importance of ____________.| A．body size | B．different beauty standards |
| C．culture difference | D．attitudes towards life |
| A．The whole world. | B．All the problems. |
| C．All the dreams. | D．All the truth. |
| A．The author is a Samoan. |
| B．The author probably got wounded in wars or accidents. |
| C．The author succeeded in losing weight. |
| D．The author has been troubled by her/his weight. |
| A．One’s happiness is determined by a person’s weight. |
| B．Not all countries take being thin as the standard of beauty. |
| C．It’s entirely wrong to care about whether a person is fat or not. |
| D．Once a person loses weight, he/she won’t gain back the weight easily. |
9 . Fulton’s dog named Lucy got to pick out her own toy at the store, and Fulton says Lucy has been known to pick very large stuffed animals. In the video, Lucy picked up a Lambchop toy about twice her size and carried it out of the store with unbelievable determination.
She carried that toy right out of the door of the pet store while Fulton filmed every moment. When Fulton posted the video on her Facebook page, she wasn’t expecting to receive such a strong response (反应).
Since posting, Lucy’s video has been viewed over 21 million times and caused more than 49,000 comments. Fulton wrote on her Facebook, “This is not the first shopping trip for Lucy. We don’t do this on a regular basis but occasionally! The more she has shopped, the bigger the toy gets and the bigger the toy gets, the higher the price! But her papa didn’t say a word about how much the one she picked out was. YES, she is spoiled (宠坏的).”
She continued, “We want to thank everyone that has viewed, liked, shared and commented about the video I posted about our Lucy during her shopping trip for a new toy! This happened while we were on vacation in Daytona Beach, Florida. Our kids told us that the video had got around rapidly. It is amazing.”
Fulton was truly shocked at how much attention Lucy’s vedio received since she is used to posting pictures and video of Lucy on her Facebook all the time.
“It’s amazing to see that a video of a precious little dog can bring so many smiles and laughter for peopole,” says Fulton, who is retired from the Henderson County Schools in Kentucky. “I am receiving so many nice comments from people all over the world.”
1. What is the most interesting part of the story?| A．The dog controls its master. |
| B．The dog chooses a toy by herself. |
| C．The dog loves shopping very much. |
| D．The dog films her shopping experience. |
| A．Lucy prefers more expensive toys |
| B．Fulton’s husband is angry with Lucy |
| C．Fulton complains about Lucy’s behavior |
| D．Fulton has to pay more and more for a toy |
| A．She thinks they are confusing. |
| B．She believed they are helpful. |
| C．She feels grateful to those people. |
| D．She finds they match her expectations. |
| A．A pleasant surprise. | B．Great respect. |
| C．A good opportunity. | D．Immediate recognition. |
10 . Men have long been puzzled by the amount women pack, when they go on holiday. They despair as they watch their beloved spend much money on extra baggage charge. Nearly half of these women admitted to lying about the weight of their case to their partner before leaving for the airport, in fear of being made to unload some unnecessary items.
But it's a fact that women pack more than they need. On average, a woman needs around 57 items in suitcase for a two-week holiday, yet most women pack nearer to 150 items, ranging from skirts, tops, underwear and high heels. In addition, women pack more sun cream, make-up and hair appliances than they are likely to need. They all take up space in the suitcase, only a third of them will see the light of day once at the holiday place.
79 percent of women admitted to taking extra items with them, with the reason for this being ''just in case''. Women plan their holiday wardrobe months in advance. Packing enough clothes and other items to last a month is not enough for some women. They'd take a chance to shop for new items while holidaying abroad. So they'll return with even more luggage in their cases.
Professor Karen Pine said, ''Women are tempted to take familiar items with them on holiday, often everything except the kitchen sink. Some people find traveling stressful, particularly when they're unsure about the home comforts available at their holiday place. They over- pack to help cope with those feelings of stress and reduce the uncertainty. ''
This will come as no surprise to some men, who are used to trying to squeeze their partner's luggage into the boot of the car with their own, smaller case. On the other hand, men pack very lightly, with only an average of 40 items for a two-week holiday.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．Women are good at picking holiday suitcase. |
| B．Women over-pack by two third when on holiday. |
| C．Women will go shopping every time they go on holiday. |
| D．Women take good care of themselves while holidaying. |
| A．they want to show off their items |
| B．they prefer a more comfortable holiday |
| C．they are afraid they'll need them during the holiday |
| D．they would like to clean their clothes wardrobe very much |
| A．Opposed. | B．Supportive. | C．Positive. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Going on holiday will cost a lot. |
| B．Women don't prefer to go on a holiday. |
| C．People tend to feel tired and stressed on holiday. |
| D．It's understandable that women over-pack in a sense. |
